Fasting

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Did you know that I love to fast. Well, I do. I’m not exactly sure why but the last few hours of a 24 hour fast is the best. My mind is a peace, I can see solutions to problems more clearly, my priorities are well defined and my plans are more precise and logical.

I really love the feeling and for almost 20 years I have fasted more than the one time a month it was expected of me.

While Paul was gone I always had my phone with me. In my hand, in whatever room I was occupying, in my purse next to me, plugged into the car while I was driving. Calls and texts from Paul were too precious to gamble with. I never took a chance at missing any contact with him.

When I am already in survival mode, a missed phone call had the power to send me into an unrecoverable tailspin.

Since he’s been home I’ve tried not to be so connected but it isn’t easy to walk away. Facebook, Instagram, blogs, email, phone calls, texts, even Words With Friends, I love them all. Those are all ways I stay connected to my kids, my friends, my siblings and I feel like I’m being left out when I’m not checking in all the time.

At the same time. I’m tired of always being on alert, on call. I find myself feeling relieved when I am running errands and realize I’ve accidentally left my phone at home. And I was surprised at how pleased I was when our book for book club this month “On Hundred Years of Solitude” was not available on the Kindle and I was going to have to order the actual book.

Lately, I have been feeling a little off too. I am distracted when I should be paying attention to my kids, I’ve been getting headaches and I’m not sleeping well. There are other factors as well, but I feel like the phone/kindle/computer is a big part of that.

I need a break. I need to clear my head and realign my priorities. I feel like some kind of ‘technology fast’ is in order. Any suggestions?

The transition from school year to summer is a good opportunity to make some changes, don’t you think? The last day of school is tomorrow.